ANANTAPUR: Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project (APMIP) Project Director S Subbarayudu, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday morning, died while waiting for an ICU bed in the government super speciality hospital in the city late night.
It reflects the sorry state of affairs in Anantapur, which recently hit the headlines when some Covid patients allegedly died due to shortage of oxygen. Anantapur Government General Hospital, the super speciality hospital, and even private corporate hospitals in the district, face acute shortage of ICU and oxygen beds.
According to his family members, Subbarayudu was administered Covid vaccine on Monday. Later, the 58-year-old Anantapur APMIP Project Director developed fever. With great difficulty, his family members managed to get an ICU bed for him in a private hospital after he tested positive for Covid. When his oxygen saturation levels dropped to 60 per cent, the private hospital referred the case to the super speciality hospital to keep him on ventilator support.
After frantic efforts by his family members, an ICU bed was arranged for him in the hospital. When he was taken to the hospital, there was no stretcher available to shift him to the ICU on the first floor. The duty doctor who was supposed to be available at the help desk, was absent. As Subbarayudu’s condition was worsening, his son with the help of others shifted him to the ICU. However, it proved to be too late and Subbarayudu succumbed.
Following the incident, District Collector Gandham Chandrudu suspended the hospital duty officer Dr Sudhakar and RMO Dr Sridhar for their absence at that time and also issued show cause notices to superintendent Vijaya Bhaskar, head nurses Mahalakshmi and Rajeswari.
It was not an isolated case. Dr T Krishnamurthy, a noted ENT specialist, tested positive for Covid and developed breathing problem. His family members got an oxygen bed for him in a private hospital. With his oxygen saturation levels dropping fast, the doctors asked his family members to shift him to a hospital with ventilator facility. Though they got a bed, his condition deteriorated and he died on Saturday.
Notwithstanding the efforts of the State government to make Covid treatment affordable, some private hospitals were found to be fleecing patients. Efforts to get a bed by contacting the 104 call centre are also not yielding results some times. K Ramakrishna of Kanaganapalli was admitted to a private hospital. When his condition deteriorated, he was asked to go elsewhere. His family members contacted the 104 call centre. While waiting for the allotment of bed, he died.
In the GGH, there are 599 Covid beds and of which 55 have ventilator facility and 300 oxygen supply. “We are adopting a patient discharge policy to ease pressure on hospital beds. The existing 6.8 KL capacity oxygen tank is inadequate to meet the demand. On Saturday itself, we received a total of 2,900 patients,” said Dr KSS Venkateswara Rao, Superintendent of GGH.
Meanwhile, the district administration has taken measures to increase the number of oxygen beds by setting up German hangars as directed by CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.The district administration has taken measures to increase the number of oxygen beds by setting up German hangars.